PLATO: looking for habitable planets

PLATO
2.0 (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) has
recently been selected for European
Space Agency’s (ESA) M3 launch opportunity (2022/24). It is a
medium class mission within the framework of the ESA
Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program. PLATO
2.0 will discover many potentially habitable planets. Presently, more
than 1700 exoplanets with secure identifications
are known and many others are unconfirmed planet candidates. PLATO 2.0 consists
of 32 telescopes operating in white light and two additional fast cameras with
colour filters. This multi-telescope design will allow a large photometric
dynamic range. The mission lifetime will be 6 years, with a possible extension
of 2 years. In total, about 50% of the sky will be covered.

The
involvement of our country, especially in the fields of electronic systems and
optics, is very relevant. The Italian contribution is funded by the Italian
Space Agency (ASI), which also provides a segment of the PLATO Data Center,
managed by the ASI Science Data Center
(ASDC). Italian researchers contribute to the PLATO
Mission Consortium, providing the scientific coordination of two
important elements of the Payload – the Telescope Optical Units
(TOUs) and the Instrument
Control Unit (ICU) – and participating to the Science Preparation Management
(PSPM), i.e., the activities required for the preparation of the scientific
programme and the assessment of the mission performance. Almost a hundred of
Italian scientists, mainly working at the National
Institute for Astrophysics (INAF),
are involved in the project.

Dr.
Pagano, what are the main Italian research centres involved? What are their
duties and responsibilities?

The Italian collaboration
includes several INAF research institutes, together with the Universities of
Padua and Florence. Roberto
Ragazzoni (INAF Padua) is the scientist responsible for the
delivery to the PMC of the opto-mechanics of the 34 telescopes, the so-called
TOUs. His team includes scientists and engineers from INAF Padua, Catania and
Milan. In Catania we are doing the analysis of the scattered light inside the
telescope and the TOU project management, in which I am involved personally.
The INAF Brera (Milan) contributes the thermal and optical materials analysis,
while INAF Padua is responsible for the optical design, the system engineering,
the design of the integration and testing procedures and carries out all the
necessary prototyping activities. The Instrument Control Unit, i.e., the
on-board computers devoted to process and compress digital data inputs, will be
delivered to the PMC under the responsibility of Rosario Cosentino (INAF, Telescopio
Nazionale Galileo), who coordinates a team based at INAF Rome and University of
Florence.

From
the scientific point of view, Giampaolo Piotto,
the second Italian member of the PMCB, is now coordinating the important
selection of the stellar fields and the individual targets to be observed.
Together with Roberto Ragazzoni, he will also be appointed in the PLATO Science
Team. Many scientific contributions to PLATO preparation will be possible
thanks to all the INAF research institutes. For example, here in Catania we
will study the stellar activities, which can influence the signal we want to
measure.

What
is the contribution of ASI, not only economically, compared to that of other
European countries?

The
TOUs and ICU are very important parts of the Payload. These will be contracted
to companies selected by ASI. Together with the ASDC involvement in the PLATO Data Center,
the whole ASI contribution makes our country one of the three main partners of
the PMC with Germany and France.

For
the youngest Italian astronomers, how important is the participation in this
wide-ranging project together with their European colleagues?

The
participation of young people, such as graduate students and post-docs, is very
important in all stages of the project. They will be involved during the
definition and implementation phases, and after the launch when data will
arrive, and they will be both scientists and engineers. In addition, the data
will be available to the whole scientific community, not only to us preparing
the mission, as soon as they will be validated scientifically. Only a small
fraction of the sample will be of exclusive competence of the Consortium, about
1000 stars, but only for one year. In addition, the data will be also used for
many stellar physics research projects.

Will
there be some exchange programs between the astronomers of the involved
countries?

Yes,
this is already the case, for example during the doctorate. In any case,
working remotely in Europe is now a daily activity, almost as if we were all in
a sort of permanent meeting. Normally, I work on the management from Catania,
but most of the group's members are in Padua. From this point of view, the
technology is very useful and it makes possible our operations at a European
level.

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